Halle Berry hits out at ‘Catwoman’ criticism: “I hated that it got all put on me”
Superhero films are an unavoidable aspect of the film industry, dragging millions of fans into the cinemas year after year. However, the controversial genre is, by no means, a new thing. Comic book stories have always lent themselves to the silver screen, though they have not always been well-received. In 2004, Halle Berry starred in Catwoman, however, it’s a role that still haunts her to this day.
An icon of the Batman universe, Catwoman has had various notable on-screen appearances. Everybody from Lee Meriwether to Anne Hathaway has taken on the role. The most famous example of the comic book character on film came in 1992 when Michelle Pfeiffer took the mantle. Following that performance was never going to be easy, but fans were particularly critical when Berry portrayed the villain in 2004’s Catwoman.
The film was incredibly flawed, featuring a weak storyline surrounding the cosmetics industry and a distinct lack of respect for the character’s source material – the comic books. Nobody could have saved that film, although Berry did her best to make it into something watchable.
Nevertheless, the Oscar-winning actor still carries the weight of Catwoman’s failure. Talking to Entertainment Weekly recently, she revealed, “I felt like it was Halle Berry’s failure, but I didn’t make it alone. All these years, I’ve absolutely carried it.”
Although Berry was reportedly aware of the film’s poor plot, she could not have predicted the harsh reaction following the release. “I worked my ass off to embody a cat in so many ways, psychologically and physically,” she said, “I never thought it went awry; I just thought that maybe it wouldn’t feel as big as other movies because the plot stakes aren’t as high.”
“Being a Black woman,” Berry continued, “I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself. […] A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do.” Despite the box office poison that was Catwoman, Berry’s career remained virtually unscathed, allowing her to continue performing in more interesting roles.
Even 20 years on, the hurt caused by Catwoman criticism is clearly still very raw for the actor. “I hated that it got all put on me,” she shared, “and I hate that, to this day, it’s my failure,” adding, “I know I can carry it. I still have a career 20 years later. It’s just part of my story.”
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